


Two Broken Souls

by A_Deity



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Loss of Parent(s), Minor Character Death, Murder, Original Character Death(s), Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29150307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Deity/pseuds/A_Deity
Summary: Trapped inside herself her entire life, Cassandra has locked away a certain terrifying memory, which keeps on haunting her through her nightmares. And as much as she wants, she can't run away from it.The burden of his dead mother's expectations and the effort to make his father proud already on his shoulders, Varian has been having it hard in his platonic life. But moving to Corona and meeting Cassandra unlocks certain memories which aren't quite pretty.Can they break the boundaries in which they have been tied for their entire life to be together? What is that dark secret awaiting them which can ruin their whole life?Canon Deviation/Modern AU⚠️ CONTAINS BLOOD AND DEATH, AND BIT OF VIOLENCE.Varian: 22 years oldCassandra: 27 years old
Relationships: Cassandra & Gothel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra/Varian (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Queen Arianna of Corona/King Frederic of Corona (Disney), Quirin (Disney)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 23





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Oooh! Look who finally decided to come out of her shell and ruin your day! 👀 I present this surprise fic to you, and won't talk much about it, because, well, spoilers 🤫
> 
> Canon Deviation and Modern AU

_"Die, you monster!" A loud voice rang out, and a heavy thud sounded. A small girl quietly peeped out of her room through the door, stifling her voice as she witnessed the horrifying sight in front of her. The woman's black curls were all over the floor, getting soaked in red blood which gushed out of her head. The girl quietly closed the door of her room, and leaned against it for a while, before sliding down on the floor. The atmosphere around her was unnaturally cold, covered in deafening silence, which was only broken by her small, breathless sobs. Her voice was muffled and ragged, her eyes were red and blurry, and her cheeks dried with tears, but she didn't care._

_Cassandra was only 14, and she had just witnessed the murder of her mother._


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter summaries are spoiler in disguise, so I'll keep mouth shut here 🤐

_Pale, long fingers with red nails softly caressed Cassandra's hair, as she stared straight into the mirror in front of her._

_"You are such a beautiful creation of mine, aren't you, dear?" Gothel smiled as her fingers made their way down to Cassandra's curly hair._

_Cassandra was silent, she knew she was supposed to respond to her mother, but something in her throat prevented her from speaking._

_"Why aren't you answering me, dear? Is something wrong?" The voice was calm, calm enough to unsettle Cassandra and stifle her voice more._

_Suddenly Gothel grabbed the back of her hair and tilted her face backwards, so it nearly faced her. The look that Gothel had on her face was the one that Cassandra feared most, and it unnerved her to the core._

_"ANSWER ME!"_

Cassandra gasped sharply as she opened her eyes, panting heavily. Clutching her bedsheet, she desperately tried to hold back tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. As hard as she tried, she wasn't able to hold it anymore, and tears flowed down from her eyes as she let out choked sobs. She lay like that for a while, as she cried her heart out and slowly turned to the side, clasping herself as she pulled up her knees closer to her chest. It was the only way which calmed her after the dreadful nightmares she had of her mother.

The abrupt, loud ringing of her alarm made her access her situation and registered the reality into her. Her mother was dead years ago, and she was in her room, in a place she had learned to call her home, where she lived with the person who had lawfully registered himself as her father, but she had still not yet comprehended to call him dad. 

Coming down the stairs from her room, she witnessed the familiar sight of her father in the kitchen preparing breakfast for both of them.

"Morning." She nodded at him.

"Morning, Cassandra." His eyes drifted down to her hands, as noticed her holding a certain and very familiar piece of paper.  
"Are you still going to apply for the police academy?" He replied, his brows furrowing as he saw the application for the academy in her hand.  
Receiving the familiar guilty look on her face, he sighed deeply. "Cassandra, I think we talked about this already."

Cassandra looked down, as her hold on the paper tightened. "But that's what I want to do!"

"I don't understand why you want to get into a police academy when you are good in everything, and can effortlessly get into something that's… not dangerous." Seeing his daughter rolling her eyes, he sighed.  
"Let's wait for some more time before you apply for the academy. You sure will be able to find something safer that you are interested in."

Cassandra looked up, as she furrowed her brows. "And I don't understand why won't you ever trust me, Sir!" She muttered angrily, as she stormed out of the house. 

John sadly looked at the fading silhouette of his daughter, as he recalled that certain day when he had first met her.

_She was scared, and he was broken. There was a misunderstanding in her eyes, and tears and unrequited love in his. And that very day, he vowed to protect her._

It was only Monday, and Cassandra was already tired. _This is going to be a long week._

************************** 

"Okay Rudigger, we must not, I repeat, we must not mess this one up." Putting the goggles above his head, Varian murmured to his raccoon who was staring lazily at him, with the look that could be best described as 'not again.' He picked up a knife as he tried opening the package. "I used almost all of my savings for this new set of chemicals. And now, I cannot afford this experiment to be a failure." 

With precise movements, he tried to slash open the package, but… "OUCH!" He shrieked, as unfortunately, the knife glazed over his fingers. Putting the package down, he looked at the small wound on his fingers, as drops of blood trickled out of it.  
_Oh no, not again._

_A cold shiver passed down his spine as he peered out of the desk. A scream pierced his ears, and horrified, he saw a body falling on the floor. Blood was gushing out of her body and Varian was scared. Why won't anyone come? Why won't anyone take her to the hospital? Can't anyone see how much she was bleeding? If it remains like this, she will die..._

The atmosphere around him turned suddenly blurry, as Varian felt his head become unusually light. He was no longer able to take into account his situation, and the last thing he remembered before he fainted was the stuffy atmosphere around him and his father's concerned shout.

Sitting beside Varian _while he was still unconscious_ , Quirin sadly looked over to the photo of a woman, with ginger - red hair and beautiful blue eyes, as he grasped his son's hand.

"Quirin, did he faint again?" Adira's concerned voice sounded in the hallway.

Yes, blood makes him dizzy. But don't worry, he'll wake up soon." Quirin replied, nodding to her in greeting as she entered the room and sat down on the chair beside the bed on which Varian lay.

"I am not worrying, I know he will wake up soon. I am just... concerned."

"About what?"

About the fact that you are already sending him to Corona. You know that place doesn't hold good memories for him, Quirin. Why are you doing it?"

"You think I am doing this willingly? It was his birthday wish, Adira, he wants to go there."

"And you'll let him? Quirin, he still can't reminisce about what happened on that day."

"Well, what can I do? It's not like I have any other alternative to this which will make him happy. And all I want to see is him being happy."

Adira sighed. "And I think that he'll be anything but happy by going there."

"It'll be okay, I have talked to Edmund, and his son will take care of him."

"Who, Fishskin? Bet he needs care first." She snorted.

"But we still have some time to spend with him." Quirin smiled as he squeezed Varian's hands tightly. "Let's make the most of it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crappy, really crappy work. Oof, how much I wish I could write even half the way people write here 😫


	3. Chapter 2

Cassandra downed another glass of alcohol in no time.  
"I hate everything." 

"Cass?" Rapunzel's strained voice tried to reason with her, "I know you remain sober even after drinking a lot, but I don't think that's a good enough reason to drink so much alcohol early in the morning. 

"It's my coping mechanism, Raps. Now shut up and leave me alone." And she leaned against the bar in the Snuggly Duckling, grabbing another glass.

"Ugh, this isn't good." Rapunzel tensed, and she pulled out her phone, her eyes searching for Eugene's number, _he was always able to stop Cassandra from drinking whenever it got too much_ , but Cassandra's hand stopped her.

"Don't… don't you dare call that jerk. I don't want to see his face this early in the morning."

Rapunzel sighed heavily. If there was any other way to help Cassandra, it was to deal with her situation, directly. Not sitting here and supporting her as she successfully consumed every glass of alcohol that came in her way.  
Taking a deep breath, she started. "Cass, your father telling you to wait for some time to apply for the Police Academy doesn't mean that he is rejecting it. _Maybe..._ it's because he needs some more time to mentally prepare himself for it."

_Fucking Rapunzel. Always finding the best solution to her problems. And as much Cassandra wanted to deny it, maybe she was right._

"Maybe you are right…" She whispered heavily as her hold on the glass loosened.

_Good, that went well._

"Hey," Rapunzel said in a soft voice, attempting to distract her from the alcohol, "You know, maybe instead of storming out of, you should've talked it out with your father."

"I am not the one for talks." She grumbled heavily. 

Suddenly Rapunzel's phone rang, and she saw a call from her father. "Ah, and now I have to go to that mental charity hospital visit with my dad." She looked at Cassandra sadly, and that led Cassandra to roll her eyes.

"Just leave." She mumbled. 

"Okay then," her voice was high-pitched and cheerful again, making Cassandra wince a little. "I'll see you later in the evening! And don't you dare stay here late." She smiled, handing her over some hangover pills. "You'll need it." And she darted out of there.

_Rapunzel._ Cassandra sighed. _The perfect daughter any parent could ask for, the perfect girlfriend any boyfriend can ask for, the perfect friend any friend could ask for, and someday, a perfect wife and even a mother. And here was Cassandra. Broken, crushed and fucked up. What was wrong with her? Why was she like that? Maybe she was just born that way._

_4 days later_

The shrill ringtone of Cassandra's phone jolted her awake from her power nap, and groaning, she reached out for it.

_Rapunzel._

"Now what?" muttering to herself with a disappointed sigh, she answered the call.

"Hey, Raps."

"Cass! Hey!" Rapunzel's shrill voice made Cassandra jerk her head away from her phone. She knew this side of her best friend, it was the sign of her overreacting to a certain irrelevant piece of information that made her happy. 

"What is it, Raps?" Her voice was heavy because of her waking up in the middle of her nap, but fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, Rapunzel didn't notice. 

"I just got great news from Eugene!" 

"The only great news which I can imagine from Fitzherbert is of him falling off the stairs, getting admitted in a hospital and finally ending up with a broken nose bone."

"Aww come on Cass, why won't you two be nice to each other?"

"I am nice to no one." She stoically replied, and Rapunzel sighed heavily. 

"Anyway," with a sudden outburst of energy, which Cassandra always wondered how she did that, Rapunzel continued, "Eugene informed me that his younger cousin is reaching Corona today."

"So?"

"So, I decided that it'd be better if we meet up at the Snuggly Duckling. Also, it'd been a while since we caught up with each other, Cass. It'd be so great!" 

Cassandra groaned as she flopped her head down on her pillow. She already had a lot on her plate and Rapunzel wasn't making it better. "What's so great in that, Raps?" 

"We get to meet new people, Cass! Isn't it fun?"

"Not for me. I hate people, Raps, you know that."

"You are people too." Rapunzel pointed out. 

"I know. And I hate that."

"Oh Cass, it'd be fun, trust me. Just this once, please?"

"You disturbed my power nap and I didn't kill you, you should be thankful enough for that."

"Cass please…"

Cassandra groaned, "You owe me one."

"Sure, Cass, anything for you. I'll text you the details, and don't be late!" And she hung up the phone. 

Cassandra facepalmed tiredly. Seriously, this was getting out of hand. She is already unable to deal with her life problems, and now new people are showing up in her life. 

_Can this get any worse?_

*******************

"Dad, I am fine." Varian sighed heavily. He and Eugene had just finished unpacking and they were sitting on the bed in the spare room that Eugene had. _He was extremely lucky in this regard, the room was big enough to fit a table for his experiments. Though his dad had warned him not to try something dangerous, Varian just grumbled and tried his best not to make a face. He had never done something dangerous, except that there was a power cut in the whole neighbourhood because of him. But that happened only once, or maybe, once every month._

"I know, son, I was just checking up on you." No, he wasn't _just_ checking up on Varian. It had been just a while since Quirin had reached Old Corona after dropping off Varian at Eugene's place, but he was worried already. "Anyway," he tried changing the topic, "How is Eugene?"

"He is well and good, but…" Varian smirked mischievously as he looked at Eugene who was sitting in front of him, checking himself out on his phone's screen. "He is getting old."

"Hey, I am _not_ getting old." Eugene glared at Varian as he continued, "You see this face, kid? It's much more perfect than any of the models out there."

"Number one, I am not a kid, number two, nothing is _more than perfect,_ and number three, I can practically see those wrinkles from over here."

_"Gosh."_ Eugene flopped down on the pillow as he facepalmed, "You are just as annoying as the Ice lady."

"Who?" Varian squinted.

But before Eugene could get another word out of himself, Quirin spoke up, "OK, I'll hang up now. And if there are any problems, do not hesitate to tell Eugene or me."

"Sure dad, bye!"

As he disconnected the call, Quirin had a small, sad smile on his face. His son was safe there, with Eugene, he tried his best to reassure himself, but a small part in him couldn't help but still be worried for him.

_He was a father, after all._

Eugene picked up a blue bag which was beside him, and turning it over, muttered curiously, "What's this?"

"DO NOT TOUCH THAT!!!" Varian screamed as he leapt over to him, snatching that bag. 

"GAH KID!" Eugene screamed as he fell on the floor because of the impact. "What have you been keeping there? Explosives?" He muttered sarcastically as he got up, but soon a grin crossed on his face which Varian distinguished as ' _STUPID_ '. "Or is there something in it for _someone special?_ " And he nudged Varian in his stomach with his elbow playfully.

Varian rolled his eyes at that and glared at Eugene furiously. "I am not a kid Eugene, I already told you that. Second, this bag contains certain chemicals which can stain your skin black in seconds if mishandled, so, unless you don’t want to paint your beautiful hands black, I repeat, DO NOT TOUCH IT." And he carefully put the bag on the table nearby.

"Jeez Varian, why would you keep something… _so dangerous?_ " Eugene rolled his eyes.

Varian gave him a reproachful look which made Eugene cave. Putting his hands up, Eugene muttered, "Alright, alright, it was my fault."

Before Varian could say anything, Eugene's phone rang and he reached for it. While  
Eugene answered the call, Varian took up one of his books. He knew he had to do a lot better if he wanted that job in Corona labs.

**********************

Varian had to admit, Eugene's girlfriend was cheerful and friendly, but annoying. Although he couldn't help but feel grateful to Eugene when he asked him to join him. He was working on his new experiment when Eugene had come in.

_"Hey, kid?"_

_"Eugene." Varian glared at him with a warning voice._

_"Well… Varian," Eugene rolled his eyes, "I and Rapunzel have planned to meet at the Snuggly Duckling with another friend of ours, well, technically, she is not my friend and I hate her and she hates me but for Rapunzel's sake we pretend to be friends---"_

_"Get to the point, Eugene." Varian sighed._

_"Oh yes. So… we were planning to meet up at the Snuggly Duckling. Are you okay with that?"_

_Varian sighed. Of course, he was okay with being left alone. That's how his childhood passed and so did his teenage years. He was always alone, and he was okay with that. He just never thought Eugene would leave him out of his group like this.  
"Heh… of course! I am okay, you go on, have fun with your friends."_

_"WHAT? Varian, I meant with you! Do you want to come with us? I mean, would you be okay? Rapunzel wants to meet you."_

_Varian smiled._

"Cass will be here soon!" Rapunzel exclaimed cheerfully as she looked up from her phone.

"Cass?" Varian looked at her quizzically. 

"Oh, I forgot to warn you, didn't I? Stay away from her, she's dangerous and scary, and terrifying. Words aren't enough for me to prove how frightening she is." Eugene quipped in.

"You might as well shut your mouth before I leave you without it, Fitzherbert." A cold and icy tone hit his ears, making Varian turn his head towards that sound. 

_He had to admit, she was scary._

_But beautiful._

_Sharp, emotionless hazel - green eyes, lips wearing that matte scarlet lipstick and that eyeliner, accentuating her sharp eyes even more… She looked rather intimidating. His breath hitched as she sat next to him._

_She looked like someone he knew._

Cassandra wasn't expecting Varian to be like this. She had thought of him to be someone who was more in Eugene's league, someone who was careful about his looks, clothes, hair, everything. But rather, he was just neat. 

_He had unusually hopeful, bright blue eyes, an unusual streak of turquoise blue in his hair, and a dash of freckles like Rapunzel. But he had his aura around him, and when Cassandra sat near him, she was reminded of her high school chemistry lab, which had that surprisingly familiar scent of old reagents and chemicals._

She could still feel his eyes over her, and before she could open her mouth to tell him to stop looking at her like a fool, Eugene spoke, "Ha, no thank you, Cass _AN_ dra."

"Shut it, Fitzherjerk."

"Uhh… guys? Rapunzel looked at them, "We are here to welcome Varian, remember?"

"Of course, Sunshine." Eugene smiled as he put an arm around his girlfriend. 

Cassandra sighed as Rapunzel went on to talk about her day, with Eugene asking her questions now and then and Varian smiling at certain jokes. The only thing she liked about the meeting was her black coffee, which made her feel much better than what she had been feeling in the morning.

"So Varian," Rapunzel looked at him, and the freshness in her voice made Cassandra pay more attention to the conversation. "Is this your first time visiting Corona?"

"Heh no…. I was born here, but we moved back to Old Corona when I was just seven."

"Oh, I can see why you moved to Old Corona! It's so green, atmospheric and beautiful!" Rapunzel exclaimed gleefully. 

"Why did you move to Old Corona?" In contrast to Rapunzel's, Cassandra had a sharp, icy tone to her voice.

"I had… well… problems here…" Varian muttered sceptically, sighing at the end.

"Oh God, Varian I am so sorry…" Rapunzel looked at him sympathetically as Cassandra bit her lip and Eugene placed a comforting hand on his. 

"It's okay, it doesn't bother me now." Varian smiled.

"You know, I was thinking of visiting that hospital which I usually do with my dad… will you guys come with me? If you don't mind?"

"I do. I don't have enough time. I need to go." Cassandra muttered as she got up from the table and left the place.

"I hope everything is okay with her." Rapunzel sounded worried. 

"Is she always like this?" Varian looked at her direction with his brows furrowed. 

"Ha, you wouldn't want to get caught up with a girl like her. Listen to me, kid, if you love your life, stay away from her."

"Thank you, Eugene, but my name is Varian." Varian sighed in displeasure.


	4. Chapter 3

Cassandra knew, the moment Rapunzel suggested the idea to visit the hospital, she had to leave. Leaning her back against the wall of the cafe she just came out of, she exhaled heavily. She, as much brave as she was, or tried to be, knew that she wouldn't be able to help herself from breaking down as she walked down the corridors of the hospital. 

She had to visit that place, albeit unwillingly, as it was that fateful day. Both her mind and body were tired, and all she wanted was to disappear.

It was, therefore, an unpleasant surprise when she heard a distinctly familiar voice a few steps away from her, as she entered the garden of the hospital through the back gate.

_It called out her name._

Frowning, she turned her head towards the sound, knowing very well who it belonged to.

***************

They were standing in front of the hospital, it was an hour ride from the Snuggly Duckling.

Rapunzel smiled as she took Eugene by her hand and gestured to Varian to follow her inside.

"You know, everyone here is so nice, that it feels like home already!" She chirped as she went forward with Eugene while Varian stayed behind, running his eyes over the hospital's dismal white walls.

"I am not sure, this place looks depressing to me," Varian commented.

"Like Cass _AN_ dra." Eugene laughed as he winked at Varian.

"Rapunzel!" A light, cheerful voice beamed in the hallway, as Varian saw a girl with light brown hair running towards Rapunzel.

"Faith, Hi!" Rapunzel smiled as she ran towards Faith, hugging her tightly.  
"How have you been?" Rapunzel asked her, as they broke away from each other's embrace.

"I've been great. Just got off work." Faith smiled as she nodded at Eugene in greeting.

"Hi Faith, hope the patients aren't slapping you anymore," Eugene smirked.

Letting out a small chuckle, Faith looked at him, "Well, some of them still do, we can't help it."

"At least they don't choke you." With a grim voice, Eugene muttered.

An awkward silence settled in, as Faith looked seemingly uncomfortable. Rapunzel, sensing the distress, chirped up, "Oh, and I almost forgot!" 

Pulling Varian by his arm, she pulled him by her side. "This is Varian, Eugene's cousin. And Varian, this is Faith. She is one of the nurses in this hospital."

Varian smiled as he put his hand out for greeting, "Pleased to meet you."

Faith took his hand as she smiled, "The pleasure's all mine."

"Hey, why don't you two go out and explore the hospital for a bit? Faith will give you a better tour than I will!"

"Oh, why not! Would you like that?" Faith asked as she turned towards Varian.

"Uhh… sure!" Varian smiled.

"Well, then. We will start in the garden. It's really beautiful, with magnolias, roses and so many more varieties!" Faith spoke as she took Varian by his hand, turning and walking towards the gate.

Eugene smiled, "Playing a matchmaker already, Rapunzel?"

With a guilty smile, she turned to him, "But look at them! They look so cute together, don't they!?"

"Of course they do." Snaking his arm around her waist, he continued, "And now that we have the opportunity to be alone, we shouldn't miss it, right?" As he led her towards one of the corridors of the hospital.

"Of course." Smiling, she gave him a peck on his cheek.

*********************

Varian hadn't been regretting his decision, Faith had been giving him a really good tour. 

"Here, we come to the end of our garden tour! Would you have a look in the wards too?"

"I don't think so, I want to stay here for a while. This place is refreshing."

"I know, right? This place is my personal favourite. Whenever I feel low or frustrated, I always come here, especially when the patients are inside. It helps me to clear my mind and escape myself for a while."

"Well, you seem to know Rapunzel and Eugene for quite some time." Varian tried to change the topic.

"Oh, not much, but for a couple of years now."

"You know, Eugene has changed a lot since I last met him. Since he met Rapunzel." 

"Love changes people, it's a known fact." Faith smiled in his direction. 

"Yeah… love." He smiled awkwardly, as he rubbed his hand over his neck.

"Have you… ever been in love?" Faith asked as she looked at him, smiling still.

"Me? Love?" He looked at her, somewhat shocked.

_8-year-old Varian was too absorbed in his crying to notice when the taunting around him stopped. He didn't look up, he was still staring down, trying to hold back his sobs, when a new tone hit his ears._

_"What were all of you up to?"_

_"N...nothing…" one of them said, shaking all over._

_"Get lost before I lose my temper." She spat out, glaring at them angrily._

_He could feel her turning towards him, as she spoke up, "Are you ok?"_

_"No…" eyes still on the ground, he broke into another sob. "They… they called her a co... coward…"_

_"Who?"_

_"My mother." He cried again, but this time, she bent down and patted on his head with her hand._

_This made him look at her, and when he did, his breath caught his throat._

_She looked much older than him. And she looked scary. But she was beautiful._

"Heh… no…" he said, awkwardly. 

"Then it's time you learn to." Faith whispered as a light blush crept on her cheeks, although it was low enough for Varian not to hear.

Varian was about to ask her what she had said just now, but something prevented him from doing so. Behind Faith, he could see a glimpse of someone making their way from the back gate to an opening to a place he didn't know. Normally, he wouldn't have attached much importance to that person, until his eyes, and in a few more moments, his brain registered who that person was.

"Cassandra!" He hadn't meant to scream, heck, he didn't even know why he did, it just came out of his throat like an arrow released from the bow. And now, as he saw her turning towards him with a confused expression, and Faith turning her head to the direction his eyes were pointing, he knew that there were no take-backs.

Cassandra's gaze landed on Varian, but soon it travelled to Faith, and something in her gaze changed. 

What's with that look? Varian wondered.

"Faith. Have you been well?" Cassandra smiled ever so slightly, and there was a tinge of shrewdness in her voice. 

"Yes. And you?" Faith looked at her calmly, as she stepped a bit forward. 

"I've been meaning to talk to you." She gestured with her head, slightly tilting it to the right side.

Faith's eyes widened, as she stared at her, but suddenly something clicked in her mind and she turned to Varian. "Varian, can you, please, uhh…" Her eyes darted nervously as Varian looked at her quizzically. 

"Leave us alone," Cassandra spoke up.

"Uh… yeah that…" Faith smiled nervously. 

Varian's inquisitive look turned into a glare as he looked at Cassandra, which she answered with one of her own. The tension which was building up between them was broken by Faith clearing her throat, as she tried again, "Varian, please excuse us."

Varian turned to leave, but not before giving Cassandra one last look, while she furrowed her brows in his direction, "Fool." She muttered.

"Or maybe he is brave enough to face you alone." Faith mumbled. 

Cassandra turned her head towards her with the same sly smile she had given her before. "Don't you think it's too early to fall in love, Faith?"

Faith looked away, but the blush creeping up her cheeks did not go unnoticed. 

"Stop it, Cass." She whispered as she turned away from her, going near a bunch of lilies, orchids and white roses, taking out her garden scissors and delicately cutting them one by one.

"You know," Cassandra spoke again as she strolled near Faith, "I like black roses. It's a shame that they are so rare, but that's what makes people value them more, right?"

"They grow in Switzerland." Faith muttered. 

"Ah, how much I want to escape this place and settle there quietly, growing them."

"You don't know how to." Faith pointed out. 

"I'll keep you with me then. You can do that work."

Faith stood up, holding a bunch of flowers in her hand as she looked at Cassandra, "I love flowers, not you."

Cassandra smiled as she took a step forward, towards Faith, "You are still scared of me, aren't you?"

_Faith looked down, hearing the whispering voices around her. People were talking about her. Clutching a dirty, rough teddy to herself, she looked down. People always talked bad things about her. Her hold on the bear tightened, she was sure she would break any moment, but suddenly the whispering stopped._

_A girl, much older than her, strolled into the room, casting a glance around the room. All the children in the stopped talking, and either began shuffling nervously or became dead quiet. Faith looked up at this new girl in admiration._

Faith's eyes widened as she looked at Cassandra. Biting her lip nervously, she pushed the flowers she'd been holding forward in Cassandra's hand. "Say my prayers for him." She mumbled.

Cassandra frowned, taking the flowers as she looked from them to Faith, "Do that yourself. You know that I don't pray." She pushed out through gritted teeth as she turned and walked away, in the direction she was going before. 

Faith sighed sadly as she looked in Cassandra's direction, slowly turning away to get inside, wanting to catch up with Varian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Sorry for the long wait! I had my exams, so I had to isolate myself from the internet for a while! But here we are again!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Oooh! A small and _not so_ dramatic prologue! It could have been much better, I know, but... _meh_ you know me and my work. They are always crappy.  
> Kudos and Comments are highly appreciated 😊


End file.
